Chillicothe 61523 - Home Patrol programed

[llwade]

like to find if anyone purchased the HOME PATROL scanner and entered the zip code of 61523. wanting to find out what agencies were made available by entering the zip of 61523. what about the IL State Police, was it available when entering 61523 or did you have to key in Metamora's zip. trying to decide between BCD996XT and the Home Patrol Scanner. will be using the radio as a base installation with an external antenna. thank you. llwade leroywade@frontier.com

 

[specialforces]

IL I.S.P.Home patrol

like to find if anyone purchased the HOME PATROL scanner and entered the zip code of 61523. wanting to find out what agencies were made available by entering the zip of 61523. what about the IL State Police, was it available when entering 61523 or did you have to key in Metamora's zip. trying to decide between BCD996XT and the Home Patrol Scanner. will be using the radio as a base installation with an external antenna. thank you. llwade leroywade@frontier.com

I live in decatur IL zip 62501 have no problem it loads all I.S.P.

 

[lep]

I don't live in Illinois so I can't help on that point but your basic Question is asking for comparing Apples and Oranges...,a 996XT and a HP-1 are designed for two different markets and have two different feature-sets. Yes they will mostly receive many of the same services but the 996XT is very much a hands-on feature rich scanner where every feature can be computer controllled while the HP-1 is very much a hands-off appliance designed for the listener, not for the radio-buff who wants to turn the knobs and 'play' with decoding the control channel in a trunked system. With the proper software the XT will log conventional PL tone outputs and will log trunking UIDs, the HP-1 won't do either nor is it designed for a user who even knows what those terms mean

 

[llwade]

thanks for the input lep. I am trying to figure out if I have the resources to configure the 996. sure would be nice if Chillicothe of Peoria had a "users" club so us newbees could get over the initial hump. I didn't get a trunking scanner so I am going from the analog to the digital. Radio Reference has a lot of info. Just sorry the scanner doesn't come with a users manual us simpletons could understand. I would much rather have the 996 and be able to configure the channels selections. I have read input where many of the agencies were not configured when the zip code was put in. spending that much money on a "NEW" model with no local input is really scarey. My gut says wait for version 2 before you jump on this one

 

[llwade]

hey specialforces,

thank you for the input. I had no idea it would pick up the entire ISP package. don't know how it does it but I am glad it does. dose it pick up both digital & analog on the same agencies? what about antenna. internal or external?

with the analog scanners of the past, we were given agency buttons such as Police, Fire, EMS, Marine, Air, etc. they would go along great and then hang up on a channel. I am hoping, Home patrol does not do this.

 

[kraziebill]

Keep in mind, all of Peoria County will be going to an OpenSky system, which you cannot listen to with any scanner. When exactly is unknown, because when they signed the contract they thought they would be on in by June 2010, then the economy sank.

 

[llwade]

cannot listen to with any scanner.

Krazibill
you said, all of Peoria County will be going to an OpenSky system, which you cannot listen to with any scanner.

do you mean the transmission will be encrypted????? and neither the BCD996xt or Home Patrol cannot hear?

 

[kraziebill]

OpenSky is an all digital system. Peoria did indicate they were going to use encryption as well.

No scanner (regardless brand or model) can hear opensky.

 

[llwade]

Kraziebill:

if all of the systems, within Peoria County, are going to OpenSky & OpenSky is encrypted.

you just saved me $500.00. why have a scanner if transmissions cannot be heard? Maybe

they aren't there yet, but if they are going soon, I need a new hobby to spend my money on.

thank you for the info.............

 

[kraziebill]

not holding my breathe

I'm not holding my breathe. They are already 4 months overdue and just last Tuesday the city council approved the split of a grant with the county to pay for the portable radios.


Besides there is much more to listen to if the county goes silent to scanner listeners. Don't count the hobby out yet.

 

[llwade]

Peoria (city) & Peoria County & OpenSky ?

Kraziebill

I live in Chillicothe, if Peoria (city) and Peoria County go to OpenSky, Chillicothe will no doubt fall in line as we are a PSAP dispatch location. the advantage of encrypted transmissions will be a awfully tempting to our Police, Fire, and Ambulance.

to sum it up, loss of Peoria (city), Peoria County, and Chillicothe is all I listen to on the scanner. I have noticed the Chillicothe Police going to cell phone transmissions on issues they don't want the public to hear. I have had a scanner since the tuneables in the late '60s. It will be hard to let this hobby go. Oh No! I am going to have to go sit in the living room and watch those reality programs on TV with my wife. Just Shoot me!!!!!!!